Two Korean Americans have been appointed to deputy assistant secretary posts in the defense and foreign policy departments under U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to the Pentagon on Tuesday, John Noh was sworn in as the new deputy assistant defense secretary for East Asia, a key position concerned with policy toward South Korea and Japan, among other countries.

Noh’s primary roles will include developing security and defense strategies for East Asia, promoting both bilateral and multilateral defense and military ties, and boosting cooperation among agencies under defense ministries. 

A graduate of Stanford Law School, Noh, until recently, served as the deputy general counsel for the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. 

Also on Tuesday, sources said Kevin Kim, who previously worked at the Senate Armed Services Committee, has begun his duties as a deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Kim served as a national security fellow to Sen. Bill Hagerty from 2021 to 2022. 

During Trump’s first term, Kim was the chief of staff to the special representative for North Korea between 2018 and 2020, during which time he was actively involved in Washington’s foreign policy toward the North, including North Korea-U.S. summits.